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At an event held recently Fujifilm, the longstanding imaging brand from Japan, held a press launch & announcement for their new X series compact cameras. The line, preceded by the popular X100, X10, and X-Pro1 “rangefinder” style devices are now bolstered by their new brethren the X-E1 mirrorless compact and the XF1 fixed-lens stylish point & shoot. Both the new devices uphold the series traditions of classic styling, powerful optics, and solid build designs and should be available starting November. For a quick rundown of specs and our impressions of the cameras, hop on over the jump to see some sample images and a video interview from the launch.

From left to right: Fujifilm X-E1, XF1, & X-Pro 1

The Fujifilm X-E1 is the new smaller brother to its rather more professional brother the X-Pro 1. Its designed to be a much more affordable and compact camera with the same X Mount lens system which is that of its optical viewfinder-toting sibling. Packing the same APS-C Sized EXR CMOS 16MP sensor as the X-Pro1, it should prove to have very comparable image quality to SLRs. (Of course, the beauty is that it is much smaller than one because of its mirrorless body.) Without the aforementioned optical viewfinder, we’re instead blessed with a 2.36M dot OLED electronic viewfinder and a 2.8” 460k dot LCD. Also, space is now available for a new built-in flash with tilt-up (bounce) capabilities. Rounding out the features include the massive array of direct access controls popular with the X-Pro 1 control configuration; 1080p video recording; and an ISO range of 200-6400 which can be expanded up to 25,600. Have a look at some sample images below. (Full size samples can be seen in the album at the end of the article.)

The Fujifilm XF1 on the other hand, is the company’s newest stylish compact shooter in the X series lineup. With specs that are similar to the popular X10 “rangefinder style” camera, the XF1 removes most of the bulk of that design and creates a sleek, collapsible lens version. This new design should prove to be popular among camera enthusiasts looking for a portable X10 to have in their pockets. Features include a 2/3” EXR CMOS sensor which resolves 12MP images; a bright f1.8-4.9 25-100mm equivalent lens; 3” 460k dot LCD; 1080p video recording; and an ISO range of 100-3200 with an extended max of 12,800 at 3MP.

Both of these cameras should be available around November of this year and are priced at PHP 42,900 / 64,950 for the X-E1 and PHP 21,500 for the XF1. Check them out at your nearest Fujifilm retailers soon, but for now watch our video preview below to see them more in action!